Lest We Forget - A Pittance Of Time

I blogged about this last year, but some things definitely bear repeating - particularly when they capture your heart and make you pause to remember something so significant.

In 1999 Nova Scotia singer/song-writer Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth on November 11th. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the store’s leadership role in adopting the Legion’s “two minutes of silence” initiative. He felt that the store’s contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven o’clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the “two minutes of silence” to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry’s anger towards the father for trying to engage the store’s clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, “A Pittance of Time”. Terry later recorded “A Pittance of Time” and included it on his full-length music CD, “The Power of the Dream”.

The video production “Two Minutes of Silence - A Pittance of Time” combines music and theatre in an emotional production that looks at the folly of war. The inspirational songs and dramatic monologues evoke memories both tinged with sadness and joy that ultimately underscore the need for hope and faith in the goodness of humankind.

I'll certainly be taking two minutes to remember and reflect -- and not just the fallen heroes from WWI and WWII, but all of the fallen soldiers and peacekeepers from all of the wars (many of them still going on right now), who are putting their lives at risk so selflessly for a greater cause.